News

Over £14,000 raised in 2009

Thank you for your generosity towards the charity event on the 13th September 2009.

We have made £4,858.37 after all outlay and expenses were paid. Lord Mayor David and Margaret Wood have donated the charity £3,291.00 from monies raised during their year in office.

Terry Mann raised £5000 for a golf day he has organised to celebrate his 50th birthday.

Lisbeth & Steven Shooter raised £955 for the charity to celebrate the birth of their babies Isabell & Anna.  Steven did the Great North Run. Rather energetic I thought!!

I am waiting for Northern Rock for a fundraiser match so hopefully that will bring the total up.  So far the amount then is £14103.37 plus Northern Rocks contribution which we are waiting to had to the final amount.

What have we done with the money so far I hear you ask??

Climbing frame in Antenatal Clinic waiting room has been purchased.

Books and breast pumps have been bought.

A monitor has been purchase for the use in the Ante natal ward to monitor babies.

A television/projector has been ordered for the use in the parent education room.

More monitors were suggested and money has been kept aside for furnishing a second bereavement room on Delivery Suite.

Yet again, an enormous thanks to you for your support over the last 2 years.  The next date is set for the 12th September 2010.  Hope you will be part of it again.

Best wishes

Sandra Bosman

Midwife for Multiples

Image copyright of The Journal

Children gather to celebrate multiple births

by Kim Carmichael, The Journal

The third annual ‘More than One’ event was held in Leazes Park, Newcastle, and was organised by Sandra Bosman, the UK’s first midwife specialising in mothers expecting multiple babies.

Sandra, who won Midwife of the Year 2007 and is based at Newcastle’s RVI, said: “The last two year’s events have been fabulous. We’ve met up with 170 sets of twins, three sets of triplets and one set of quads.

“So far we’ve managed to raise more than £20,000 and we’d love to beat that amount this year.”

Elizabeth and Stuart Kendrick, of Stocksfield, Northumberland, have two sets of twins, Matthew and Robert, 3, and Alice and Edward, six months.

Elizabeth, 33, a doctor at Chester-le-Street Community Hospital and Stuart, 34, a doctor at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, are thrilled with the level of support available at the RVI’s maternity unit.

Elizabeth said: “We’ve been coming to the events since they started. It’s nice to support the RVI as they’ve been fantastic to us.”

Melanie and Leonard Oliver, from Amble, Northumberland took their 21-week-old triplets Grace, Hannah and William along to the day.

Melanie, 30, said: “Where we live, there is no help for multiple birth babies, so it’s great to know that the RVI is there.”

by Kim Carmichael, The Journal

The Children's Champion

Jul 7 2008 by The Journal

Award winning staff: Sandra Bosman, Midwife

Based at the RVI, Sandra was the first midwife in the UK to specialise in twins and multiple births and was recently named Midwife of the Year, 2007.

It was her role in the birth of quadruplets that prompted their mother to nominate her for this prestigious award.

Sandra said: “I was thrilled to win the award but seeing babies who are very ill growing up fit and healthy is really all the reward I need in this job. The maternity department at the RVI is a brilliant place to work and I think of my award as being for all the staff here, not just me.”

Special delivery in safe hands with midwife of the year

Oct 5 2007 by Chris Robinson, The Journal 

MUMS-to-be expecting twins, triplets or even quads can always rely on dedicated Sandra Bosman as their extra pair of hands to help them through their pregnancies.

Now her hard work and friendly nature have earned her the crown of Midwife of the Year. Mrs Bosman, based at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, was nominated for the national award, sponsored by nursery retailer Mamas and Papas, by former patients Emma Miller and Melanie Snee, who became parents to quads Markus, Lara, Lucas and Harrison 10 months ago today.

The couple, from Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, wanted to thank Mrs Bosman for being there for them during their unique pregnancy, and for her sound advice in their first stages of parenthood. Melanie, 34, who has been with partner Emma, 30, for more than a decade, said: “She was just phenomenal all the way through.” The foursome are believed to be only the second set of quads born at Newcastle’s RVI.

“We said that they broke the mould when they made Sandra,” added Ms Snee, a customer service adviser.

“Not only did she give us her dedication during the pregnancy but in the weeks that followed.”

Mrs Bosman, who has been a midwife for 29 years, said she felt humbled by the award which was presented by England Rugby star Ben Cohen, whose wife gave birth to twins last month.

She said: “I was very surprised when I found out because as a midwife you do it because you love the job.

“There are hundreds of thousands of midwifes who do a wonderful job every day.” The mother-of-two, from Greenside, Gateshead, has specialised in multiple births for seven years and is based at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

She has been named North-East Midwife of the Year for the past two years, but this is her first national award. The prize money of £1,000 will go to the RVI’s multiple birth facilities.

Photo: Sandra pictured with Ben Cohen, a rugby player whose wife had twins 2 wks before the Award Ceremony. 

Double the fun at RVI fundraiser

Jul 9 2007 by Helen Rae, Evening Chronicle 

It was a family affair as twins, triplets and quads met up.  They came together to raise funds for a Tyneside hospital at the More Than One event yesterday at Beamish Open Air Museum.

As well as giving parents the opportunity to share tips and advice, it also helped raise cash for the Women’s Services at Newcastle’s RVI to buy equipment for multiple babies. Midwife Sandra Bosman said: “The event is just to celebrate being a multiple. “Parents of multiples are faced with a lot of practical, financial and emotional issues. For a start they have only two hands to lift two or more babies.

“There is also more discomfort during birth and more risk of premature birth. We need things like a special monitor for parents who want to have a water birth that can monitor both heartbeats.”

Youngsters of all ages attended the event – from seven-month-olds to teenagers – and it is believed it was the largest gathering of multiples ever held in the region. Susan Palmer, 28, of Heworth, Gateshead, took twins Lilly Mae and Katie Rose Capstick, one, to the event.

She said: “It’s the first multiple event I’ve been to and I think it’s a great idea.

“It’s totally different having twins to just one child as you need much more support. It’s lovely to see lots of twins and triplets in the same place and it’s nice to be able to talk to other parents in a similar situation and get their advice.”

The mum-of-four added: “Lilly and Katie were premature babies so I’m delighted to help raise funds for the RVI in order to buy specialist equipment.”

Emma Miller, 30, and her partner Mel Snee, 34, of Houghton-le-Spring, were with their quads Lucas, Markus, Harrison and Lara, seven-months. Emma, a customer service adviser, said: “I love having quads and I don’t know anyone else who has had four children at the same time. It’s very hard work but I was delighted when I was told I was having so many.” Marina Lynch and her husband Sean, 38, enjoyed the day with twins Victoria and Evie, six, daughter Georgia, five, and grandparents Mario and Maria Fantin and Catherine Lynch. Marina, 38, of Horsley, Northumberland, said: “I enjoy events like this because it’s nice to see how twins of all ages interact.”